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Most buyers should pick Builder.io.
Choose Builder.io if you need designers, product teams, and engineers to edit production UI and content within an existing codebase and Git review workflow. Choose Lovable if you want to describe an app in plain language and have hosting, authentication, and payments managed for you. For developers prioritizing integration with an established stack, Builder.io is the closer fit; Lovable is the more bundled route from prompt to deployed app.
01Side by side
| Builder.io | Lovable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-user plans; Pro $24, Team $40 monthly | Workspace plans; Pro $25, Business $50 monthly |
| Free tier | 15 daily, 60 monthly credits; up to five users | 5 daily build credits, capped at 30 monthly |
| Integrations | Git, frameworks, MCP, commerce, search, assets, localization | Existing tools; payments in 200+ countries |
| Deployment model | Edits production UI; publishes through Git review | Managed hosting, SSL, and backend infrastructure |
| Platforms | Web | Web, desktop, and mobile |
| Limits and scaling | 500 monthly credits per paid-plan user | Credit tiers scale to 10,000; usage consumes credits |
| Code portability | Git-based changes in an existing codebase | Pro includes code download/edit; code and data stay yours |
| Core workflow | Visual UI editing and agentic CMS publishing | Prompt-built apps with hosting, authentication, payments |
Builder.io Choose Builder.io if
- Choose Builder.io if your product already lives in a codebase with Git review.
- Choose Builder.io if designers and PMs need to edit production UI.
- Choose Builder.io if you want content publishing, A/B tests, and personalization.
Lovable Choose Lovable if
- Choose Lovable if you want to build apps from plain-language prompts.
- Choose Lovable if you want hosting and backend infrastructure managed.
- Choose Lovable if you need projects managed on web, desktop, and mobile.
02Pricing at real usage
Builder’s Free plan costs $0 and includes 15 credits daily, 60 monthly, and one design system; it allows up to five users. Pro is $24 per user/month, with 500 monthly credits per user, while Team is $40 per user/month and adds roles for teams of up to 20. Builder lists $25 per 500-credit monthly add-on on Pro and Team. Annual prices are not published.
Lovable Free is $0, with five build credits/day capped at 30/month, plus 20 Cloud, four in-app AI, and one connector credit monthly. Pro is $25/month or $21/month billed annually, starting at 100 credits and scaling to 10,000; Business is $50 or $42 annually, with the same credit range. At 10,000 credits, the listed monthly prices reach $2,250 for Pro and $4,300 for Business. Top-ups cost $15/50 Pro credits or $30/50 Business credits. Backend and deployed AI usage consumes credits after grants run out.
03API, SDKs and integration
Builder is organized around an existing codebase: teams can code in Builder or another AI tool, push a branch, and review changes through their Git workflow. Its visual editor connects to components and design tokens, while the agentic CMS handles content, previews, approvals, publishing, A/B tests, and personalization. Builder says it works with teams’ frameworks and Git workflows, connects with commerce, search, asset-management, and localization tools, and supports MCP connectors.
Lovable starts from plain-language prompts and manages hosting, SSL, backend infrastructure, authentication, payments, and integrations. It says it connects to existing tools without integration code and supports payments in 200+ countries and territories, but names no integration partners. Neither vendor publishes specific API or SDK signatures, supported languages, CLI commands, or documentation details on its product pages; ask for those before relying on a particular stack or automation path.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Neither vendor publishes an open-source licence or a self-hosting offer for its core platform. Builder’s workflow is built around edits to production UI and changes moving through a team’s existing Git review process; the pricing page lists a self-hosted or custom Git-provider connection as an add-on, but does not publish its price. That is not the same as a documented self-hosted Builder deployment.
Lovable says code and data stay yours, and Pro includes code download/edit plus private projects and custom domains. Its core product still handles hosting, SSL, and backend infrastructure. Those provisions give teams a route to retrieve and modify code, but the product pages do not describe a full data-export format or a migration procedure for hosted services. Treat portability of generated code separately from replacing Lovable-managed infrastructure, authentication, and payments.
Questions people ask
Is Builder.io or Lovable better for an existing codebase?
Builder.io is the closer match for an existing codebase: teams can work from one codebase, connect visual editing to components and design tokens, and send changes through their Git review workflow. Lovable is oriented around describing an app in prompts and having its platform manage hosting and backend infrastructure.
Which tool builds a complete hosted app from prompts?
Lovable is positioned for that workflow. It builds from plain-language prompts and manages hosting, SSL, backend infrastructure, authentication, and payments. Builder.io supports collaborative coding, production UI editing, and content publishing, with changes reviewed through a team’s Git workflow.
How do Builder.io and Lovable credits affect cost?
Builder’s Pro and Team plans include 500 monthly credits per user, with add-on credits listed at $25 per 500. Lovable’s plan prices scale with credit volume, and backend or deployed AI usage consumes credits after included grants run out. Lovable also lists separate Pro and Business credit top-ups.
Can I self-host Builder.io or Lovable?
Neither product is presented as a self-hosted core deployment. Builder lists a self-hosted or custom Git-provider connection as an add-on, but that does not establish self-hosting of its platform. Lovable describes managed hosting and backend infrastructure; Pro includes code download and editing.